Republicans in the US House of Representatives failed on Tuesday February 6 to indict Joe Biden's minister in charge of immigration, Alejandro Mayorkas, whom they accuse of having caused a migration crisis on the border between the United States and the Mexico.
“He is the chief architect of the catastrophe,”
thundered Mike Johnson, the leader of the House of Representatives, a few hours before the vote, which failed by a few votes.
The Democrats, although in the minority in the Lower House of Congress, swept aside the procedure, asserting that the Republicans were trying to make the minister a scapegoat in the middle of an election year.
Despite this snub for the Republican Party, the situation nonetheless remains a headache for Joe Biden, nine months before the presidential election.
Immigration has emerged as one of the key issues in the campaign for the November presidential election, which will in all likelihood pit President Joe Biden against his Republican rival Donald Trump.
And House Republicans, many of whom are close to former President Donald Trump, say the Democratic leader allowed the country to be
“invaded”
under his presidency.
They take as an example the record number of migrants arrested at the border, 302,000 in December.
Although inexcusable, his incompetence does not constitute grounds for impeachment under the Constitution.
»
Ken Buck, elected Republican from Colorado
The main person concerned, Alejandro Mayorkas, has repeatedly denounced the Republicans' impeachment procedure, accusing them of
"wasting precious time and taxpayers' money"
in a
"political maneuver"
.
The last indictment of a minister by Congress dates back to... 1876. War Minister William Belknap, accused of corruption, resigned before the end of the impeachment procedure.
The Constitution provides that Congress can impeach the president, a minister, or federal judges for
"treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors
. "
The procedure takes place in two stages.
First, the House of Representatives votes, by a simple majority, on articles of impeachment detailing the alleged facts: this is what is called “impeachment” in English.
This vote took place on Tuesday afternoon.
Most Republican elected officials were united in favor of indicting Alejandro Mayorkas, but four parliamentarians from this camp voted against, some considering the sanction largely disproportionate.
“Although inexcusable, his incompetence does not constitute grounds for dismissal under the Constitution
,” ruled Ken Buck, elected Republican from Colorado.
All Democrats also opposed the measure.
If he had been indicted, the Senate would then have had to put the minister on trial.
In any case, the upper house of Congress is currently in the hands of the Democrats, which made a dismissal of the minister very unlikely.